Flexible coupling



Dec. 13, 1927.

I A. LANZ FLEXIBLE COUPLING Filed June 24. 1926 Patented Dec. 13, 1927.

" oFi- FICE. i

ARTHUR narra or onnrnroiv, swrrznRLArin.

FLEXIBLE GOUPLIN G.

Application filed June 24, 1926, Serial No. 118,375, and in Switzerland meats 2,1925;

l 1 invention relates to flexible couplings particularlyadapted to connect. shafts out of line, moving with its supporting bearings to, and; from ,a limited eccentric position. i I The; obiect-ofbmy invention is to provide 3 suitable: coupling means,, allowing-revolving shafts to oscillateagainst each other Without harmful-backlashes and, its resulting vibrations, ,to equalize inaccuracies in the details,

10 to provide at the same time flexible yielding means -,.to reduce undue strains from the rotating/masses, shocks and overloads in the power transmission.

'ETQ. attain these objectslone, shaft is carry-' 16' ing a icoupling member (with diagonal opposite driving pins. Two driving rods are swiveled each one with one, end, on said driving pins. i Pivotally. inserted between the diagonal opposite other ends of the two 20 drivingrods is a connection. The two drivingmods'and said connection form a driving frame revolving with said shaft and cou- 'pling'member. g 1 On saiddrivingframe suitable means are provided to engage slidably anothercoupling member secured to and revolving with the othershaft. While the coupling may be usedifor a great variety of purposes it is V specially: suitable for individual drives in electriclocomotives. In this form of power transmission the drlvlng coupling member is on a 'shaftosc'illatingwith the springsupported main frames and'the driven cou- 'plin" [member is exposed to" the inequalities oflt e tracks is the objectiof my in? venti on-to minimize objectionable,reactions uponithe drive during oscillations, to secure a balanced power transmission and to provide-lat the sametime an efficient equalizer against shocks and overloads.

v 'objectsof the invention will appear in the Additional #following specification in which someof the preferredforms of my nvention-are described, m I

- ,.,:-"Referring tothedrawingin which similar -,reference Ycharactersindicate the same parts 'in'the several figures'ofqthe drawing, Fig. 1 i's.--a'.- diagr ammatic outline arrangement of thecou:pling;':Fig.-'2ais a diagrammatic out- 'linearrangement --to explain the Working manner of the coupling in oscillationsof the shaftsgFig; 3 is an endvie'w of one form offmyi coupling; Fig; 'shows a partial cross section throughcoupling shown :1n1.F1-g. 3'

Fig. 5 isan end view of another form ofthe plained after Fig. '2.

act-1y parallel to slots 5 the driving'frame "2; 4, 2does not change'itsshape. Oscillating in any other directionin a istraightline fdrivingrods 2,.s'wivel with the length-l te 3.

through couplingshown in Fig. 5.

Referringnow .to the diagrammatic out line of'the coupling-Yin Fig, 1, two diagonal opposite ,drivingpins 1 are carried by a con; phng member secured to oneshaft. vTwo driving'rods 2 'areswive'lfedveach one with oneend on pin sls .JInserted between, the diagonal flopposite, other ends- 3 of the driving rods; 2 is a con nection .lrf In some of my couplings the connectionv 4 has the'form of a strut, in other forms it isyieldable. ,Driving rods 2 and connection 4 form together a driving frame revolving on pins, 1.- The driving frame preferably witl its ends '3 engages slidably slots 5 in a coupling member secured to and revolving with theother shaft. Revolving in the direction of arrow 6, with the shaft carrying. pins 1 and the drivingframe 2,41, 2 as driver, pins 3 engage'anddrive the other shaft and coupling member in slots 5, The

corresponding diagram of; forces is inditension; and compression,; according to I the V .senseof rotation or transmission ofpower. I

If n'ow connection 4' is of ag yieldable form, all inequalities, shocks, vibrations, changes inpowerare cushioned and! equalized by the yield.

In the, concentric position of the two shafts the coupling details revolve without changing'theposition to each other. The workin principle of the coupling with shafts osci lating against each-other in a straight line, or being set in an eccentric position is ex I r V The shaft member'car'rying pinsfl has its centre at 11 andfthe shaft carrying. the

coupling, member with slots *5 has its centre atf12; If-pins 1 with" shaftv 11 oscillate ex In joscillating ;a straight -Vdistance from 11 to 12 the driving rods 2 are swiveling on 1-10 pins 1 from a point 13 to a point 3. This shortens connection 1 a distance let, if it is yieldable. If the connectionis not of a yieldable form the ends 3 move from point 13 to point 15 and driving rods 2 move pins 1 with one shaft accordingly a distance 16. With the eccentricity 11-12 of the shafts parallel to slots 5, thus every 180. degrees, the deviation of driving rods 2 and the distance 16 is zero. With the eccentricity of the shafts at a right angle to slots 5, the

deviation of driving rods 21. and distance 16 reaehesthe maximum. Twice in every revolution the two shafts are accelerated and retarded between Zero and a maximum dis tance ldresulting in small changes of the circumferential speed. Vith the yieldable form of connection 1 distances 1 1 and 16 are reduced'and equalizedby the yield. It is an advantageof this coupling to allow com aratively long driving rods giving very smal differences 1 4 and 16. a The driving rods 2 may also be of a yieldable form.

A preferred arrangementof the coupling is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A. hollow shaft 17 is carrying a couplingmember 18 with two driving pins 1 and a driving frame 2, 4, 2. One end of the rods 2 is swiveled on pins 1. Inserted between the other ends is a connection 4, formed by two semiannular spring beams with protruding sliding blocks 19. Said sliding blocks engage a coupling member 20in slots 5. Couplin member 20 is secured to and revolving wit 1 shaft 21. The two annular spring beams are connected by pins 22. Drivingrods2 areprovided with spherical bushings 23 and 2 1 allowing for a limiteduniversal movement of driving rods 2 and shafts 17 and 21. The driving shaft 17 with coupling member 18, pins 1 and driving frame 2,34, 2 engages slidably and drives in slots 5 coupling member 20 secured to the driven shaft 21. The coupling in this form has the advantage of using little space, it may be applied to comparatively small wheel diameters. l v

In another preferred formof the coupling shown in Figs. 5 and 6 a shaft 25 is carry ing "a couplingmember 26 and two driving pins 1. Two driving rods 2 are swiveled each one with one end onpins 1. Inserted between pins 3 near the other ends of rods 2 are connections 1 in the form of two semiannular spring beams, connected by pins 22. The driving frame 2, 4, 2 has two slots 27 in driving rods 2. Slots 27 engage sliding blocks 28 swiveled on pins 29 fastened to a coupling member 30 secured to shaft 31. Pins 1 have spherical bushings23 allowing a limited universal movement for driving rods 2 andshafts 25 and 31. Thecoupling member 26 on shaft 25 carrying 'pinsl and driving frame 2, 1,2 engages slidably and driveswith slots 27 pins 29 on cou ling member 30 secured to the driven sha t 31.

In some forms of the coupling slots 27 are parallel to the driving rods The driving frame 2, l, 2 may be carried by either shaft and coupling member. Also the yieldin means in the drivin frame may be olnitte in connection 1 and placed in the driving rods 2.

Another advantage of the coupling is, that the semia nnu l 511' spring beams 4 in most cases do not require a stop to limit the flexibility, and if one of the springs should breakthe power transmission is not interrupted. All rotating parts in this coupling are balanced. It will of course be understoody that the structure of the different forms .of the cou pling may be otherwise modified within the scope of the appended 012111181 a Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent: a 1

1. In a flexible coupling of the character described the combination of a drivin land a driven shaft, a coupling "member wit two driving pins carried by one of the two shafts, two driving rods of about equal len th join naled each one with one end on sai driving pins, a connection pivotally insertedbetween the diagonal opposite other ends of the two driving rods, said two driving rods and the connection forming a driving frame revolving with saidone shaftand coupling Inem ber, means provided on said driving frame to engage and to drive slidably a con ling member secured to and revolving wit the other shaft.

2. In a flexible coupling of the character described the combination of a drivin and a, driven shaft,a coupling member wit two driving pins carried b one of the twoshaf'ts, two driving rods'of a out equal len hjournaled each one with one end on sai fdriving pins, a connection pivotallyinserted between the diagonal opposite other ends of the two drivingrods, said connection being yieldable and formingwith the two drivin rodsfvca driving framerevolving with said 5 aft and coupling member, means provided on? said driving frameto engage and to drive slidably a coupling member secured to auditevolving with the other shaft.

3. A flexible couplin .ofthecharacteridescribed, comprising a riving anda driven shaft, a coupling member with two driving pins revolving with one of the shafts, two driving rods of about equal length journaled each one with one end on said driving pins, a connection in the form of twosemiannular springbean'is inserted between the diagonal opposite other ends of the two driving rods, said-two driving rods and the connection forming a yieldable driving framerevolving with said shaft and coupling member, sliding blocks protruding from said driving frame to engage and to drive slidably another coupling memberin suitable slots, said other coupling member being secured. to and revolving with the other shaft.

4. A flexible coupling of the character described, comprising a driving and a driven 5 shaft, a coupling member with two driving pins revolving with one of the two shafts, two driving rods of about equal length journaled each one with one end on said driving pins, a connection in the form of two semi- 10 annular spring beams inserted between the diagonal opposite other ends-of the two driving rods, said driving rods'and the connection forming a yieldable driving frame revolving with saidshaft and coupling member, slots provided in the driving frame to slidably engage sliding blocks journaled on pins carried by another coupling member, secured to and revolving with the other shaft. v

. ARTHUR LANZ. 

